First-Timers, Tell Us How You Did It

Did you recently buy your first home? Was it a snap or a snafu? Do you have any advice to share with this season’s novice house hunters?

We’d like to have your first-time buyer story for our annual “Tales From the Trenches” article. Please make your story a teaching tool. Checklists are great, so are do’s and don’ts. Don’t be shy about ‘fessing up to your mistakes. We all make them; maybe someone can learn from yours.

Send your tale to Dick Barnes, Real Estate Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053; fax to (213) 237-4712, or e-mail: Real.Estate@LATimes.com. Please be sure to include your address and telephone number.